Two new nuclear reactors are going to be built at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Waynesboro, Ga. The Department of Energy issued about $6.5 billion in loan guarantees for the construction of the two new nuclear reactors. The project represents the first new nuclear facilities in the US in nearly three decades.
Secretary of Energy Earnest Moniz said the power facilities are “not only a major milestone in the Administration’s commitment to jumpstart the US nuclear power industry, but also an important part of our all-of-the-above approach to American energy.”
The two new 1,100 MW Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant will supplement the two existing reactor units at the facility.
Project partners include Georgia Power Company (GPC), Oglethorpe Power Corporation (OPC), the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) and the City of Dalton, Ga. The Energy Department issued loan guarantees to GPC and OPC for a total of about $6.5 billion. The Department continues to work on the remaining conditional commitment for a $1.8 billion loan guarantee to MEAG. The nuclear facility is eligible for loan guarantees since it is expected to avoid nearly 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.